Indianapolis domestic violence prevention program to connect victims with services

Indianapolis Star - 1/10/2022

When Danyette Smith realized she was in a violent relationship in 2012, the mother of two started to do research.

She knew a man is not supposed to hit a woman, but she wasn't familiar with the cycle of domestic violence — something that would give her a better understanding of the unhealthy relationship she was in.

Smith was able to escape the abuse two years later and connect with an advocate from an Indianapolis aid group. Still, there were "very dark moments... very alone moments," said Smith, who later founded Silent No More, a domestic violence awareness and prevention organization.

"There were so many gaps in (getting help)," Smith told IndyStar, "that, if I hadn't got the knowledge of domestic violence beforehand and knew how tough it would be, then most likely I would have went back."

"I was able to realize the lack within our city," she added, "whether it was the resources or just someone to reach out to in regard to domestic violence."

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Now, Smith is set to lead a new domestic violence prevention program through the Indy Public Safety Foundation. The program, funded through the Office of Public Health and Safety, aims to serve as a liaison between victims and survivors of domestic violence and the resources they need that are already in the community.

"The overall goal," said Smith, who began work Monday, "is to be that streamline and to have that system to where the victims and survivors of domestic violence will have that one go-to program that they know that they can get that concrete information."

Smith, the director, will oversee three "advocates" tasked with going out in the community to work directly with victims and survivors of domestic violence and connect them to the resources they need.

These advocates, program officials noted, will not only be experts in domestic violence, but will also have connections to service providers and aid organizations in Indianapolis who provide things like temporary housing, employment and legal services and counseling.

The initiative comes largely in response to the spike in reports of domestic violence both in Indianapolis and across the United States that coincided with the onset on the coronavirus pandemic. From 2019 to 2020, the number of domestic violence cases assigned to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police detectives nearly doubled — jumping from 2,601 to 5,016, according to data from the department. In 2021, detectives were assigned 5,524 such cases.

Those numbers, police said, do not include instances where someone was shot, which tend to be investigated as aggravated assaults or homicides. But there have been a number of homicides that began as domestic disputes in the past year. In one instance in August, a man shot a woman, an 11-year-old girl and a police officer before killing himself at an apartment complex. The woman later died in the hospital.

While there are a number of groups in Indianapolis working in domestic violence prevention, experts in the field told IndyStar those resources tend to be "fragmented," leaving people to sort through the services on their own to find what they need.

"That's what survivors will say is incredibly frustrating to them: trying to navigate a complex system where people either don't answer the phone right now during COVID or they're packed," said Laura Berry, executive director of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Berry's organization has a statewide reach, providing legal services to survivors, coordinating policy initiatives and supporting the large network of prevention groups, oftentimes through financial help. There is the 2-1-1 phone service, Berry noted, that makes referrals for people with inquiries about domestic violence resources. But that hotline deals with a wide range of issues. It isn't focused on domestic violence, and there aren't any advocates on the ground in the community connecting with those in need.

"We don't have one central spot that one person can help (victims) navigate all of the resources that are available to them — especially here in Central Indiana," Berry said. "So somebody to help them navigate could be incredibly beneficial."

Jeffrey Edleson, a professor in the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare, emphasized that a program like Smith's should make improving access to services a "top priority." To do that, he said, workers in the program would need to be "very closely tied to the services for battered women" in the community.

When contacted by IndyStar, a number of Indianapolis domestic violence prevention groups said they were not aware of the new city-funded effort. Program officials noted the initiative is still in its early stages and emphasized that collaboration with the community will be an integral part of how they operate. They have been in touch with churches who have their own domestic violence programs and say they will reach out to other organizations in the Indianapolis area.

The group also plans to do community engagement and outreach in neighborhoods and zip codes most affected by domestic violence, which could include canvassing certain areas or holding events with other organizations.

"Ultimately, one of those key factors is getting into the community and making them aware," Smith said.

The program is funded by $370,000 passed by the Indianapolis City-County Council in July as part of a larger crime prevention effort.

The city in December directed tens of thousands of dollars to Silent No More and the Domestic Violence Network, both organizations Smith has worked with. About $250,000 from the city's American Rescue Plan Act funds, city officials said, will go toward domestic violence wraparound services.

The Indy Public Safety Foundation still needs to hire and train the three advocates, who are expected to start full-time in the next few months.

For Smith, "highlighting and elevating those that are already doing the work within the community" will be a major part of her responsibilities. She indicated that could include advocating for more funding to those organizations.

Program officials plan to keep in touch with police and use data collected through the department and from partner agencies to measure their success. As the program progresses, Smith said, they'll be able to better see who needs help in Indianapolis.

"We just want to make sure that we connect the violence within the city overall and domestic violence — knowing that it's one within the same and not separate from it," Smith said. "Violence is extremely high within Indianapolis, so bringing this program (in) would definitely help, again."

Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.